1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional connector has a housing into which terminal fittings can be inserted and a retainer mounted in a mounting hole of the housing for movement between a temporary locking position and a main locking position. A temporary locking concavity and a main locking concavity are formed side by side on an inner surface of the mounting hole. A flexible elastic piece is formed on the retainer and a locking projection is formed on the elastic piece. The locking projection can fit elastically in the temporary locking concavity to hold the retainer at the temporary locking position. The locking projection also can fit elastically in the main locking concavity to hold the retainer at the main locking position.
The main locking concavity has a first slope, the locking projection has a second slope and the temporary locking concavity has a third slope. The first slope is formed at a forward portion of the main locking concavity in the direction in which the retainer is drawn out and is inclined along the direction in which the retainer is drawn out. The third slope formed at a forward portion of the temporary concavity in the direction in which the retainer is drawn out and is inclined along the direction in which the retainer is drawn out. The second slope is disposed substantially along the surface direction of the third slope when the retainer is at the temporary locking position and is disposed substantially along the surface direction of the first slope when the retainer is at the main locking position. The retainer can be returned smoothly to the temporary locking position because the second slope slides on the first slope.
The retainer of the above-described connector can be moved from the main locking position to the temporary locking position. However, there are times when the second slope of the locking projection slides on the third slope of the temporary locking concavity so that the retainer separates from the housing without the being stopped at the temporary locking position.
The connector can be provided with a dedicated locking construction separate from the locking projection for securely stopping the retainer at the temporary locking position. However, the construction of the connector then becomes undesirably complicated.
The invention was completed based on the above-described situation. It is an object of the invention to prevent a retainer from being separated from a housing without a complicated construction.